


Tango Infernal

by TimeKing



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: AU sooner or later, Dark Magic, Headcanon, I love how Viren is easily tempted, Imprisonment, M/M, Magic, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Season/Series 02, Rating May Change, References to Depression, Tango Infernal is a metaphor, by power and might, mind manipulating elves are rather sexy, they're not literally dancing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-16 03:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18086618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeKing/pseuds/TimeKing
Summary: Xadia is on the brink of war. In order to save humankind and save Katolis Lord Viren decided it is time for a change and ends up in prison for his traitorous solutions as how to solve the occuring events. But who needs the approval of anyone, when a powerful entity like Aaravos is on your side? Trapped in a mirror he can’t be of much harm, can he? Listening to his words won't manipulate him as long as he is careful enough.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone,  
> welcome to my little (or rather long-termed) story, which just serves the reason to write down a headcanon continuation of the true nature of Aaravos and how easily Viren gets trapped into his spiderweb of sweet lies and false promises. :) Hope you'll enjoy the ride and I don't exactly know where this is going, but I think this will sooner or later become M-rated. (I don't know yet)  
> I'm shipping them too hard, okay. Forgive me.

 

**Prologue**  
  
_Come, dance the tango with me!_  
And follow my tango steps!  
_I dance this dance with you for a very long time,_  
until the planet stops spinning,  
_until it withers  
_ _and dies out,  
_ _blown away by the wind ..._

_Tango Infernal can be our destiny  
_ _while it’s not preventing;  
_ _at least it's alleviating_

_because it strengthens morality._

__

_Tango Infernal_

__

_It is a special dance._  
_Usually it's a dance for two.  
_ _Problems will be buried in oblivion in the course of it._

__(Passages from 'Tango Infernale' by Bodo Wartke) __  



	2. Hope and Trust

#  **Chapter one**

 

  
The dungeons of Katolis' castle were not exactly the most appealing of places to be. The stone covered floors and walls seemed to radiate coldness and everywhere water droplets dripped into puddles of dirty pools of even dirtier water. A place killing the braveness in the hearts of men, where hope withered and madness awoke.

 

In one cell of this ungodly place Viren came to after his capture, his mouth dry and lips chapped from the lack of water, even though a prison warden had him a cup full next to a tablet with dry bread and some moldy cheese. He denied it. This was a meal far beneath him and he was known to be stubborn. And he'd stay as stubborn as that moonshadow elf he had captured and turned into a coin.

 

This was it. The end. He could decide when his fight against the stupidity of humankind ended. And he decided, from this moment on, he considered himself dead. So, death wouldn't... couldn't fright him.

 

Big words, though.

 

Easier said than done.

 

Viren admitted that he admired a bit how easy those words came from the assassin's lips when he himself felt his chest tightening around his heart by only even thinking about giving himself over to death before it was imminent.

 

With each passing moment fear clawed more and more at his resolution, ripped it apart and let the shreds of it finally rain down to the floor.

 

He pulled his legs close to his body and embedded the chin in the small hollow between his knees. With the spreading fear inside him, he grew aware of the coldness inside his cell and the discomfort of having just one hand free while the other was chained to the wall he leaned his back against. Never to forget the aching of his old bones due to the damp air all around him. The poor amount of straw on the floor wasn't of any help against the inconveniences.

His thoughts wandered to Gren, captain Amaya's model translator for sign language, and to his undaunted optimism. Viren couldn't understand how this boy kept his mood up so easily, even after four days of being completely ignored and by-passed. What was his secret? Mere idiocy...?

 

Time passed by without him noticing or even knowing whether outside was day or night. Sometimes a warden entered, replacing the old set of food and water by a new one. He barely recognised it. Too lost in his own thoughts about what he had done to end up here in captivity and about his downfall... Climbing deeper down the spiral ladder of hopelessness step by step.

 

If the regents had agreed to his tactics.

 

If Opeli and her lackeys weren't such sticklers for the rules.

 

If Harrow hadn't forced him to kneel like an obidient dog. If he hadn't been too stubborn to save his royal life in exchange for a less important one!

 

If only all of them had listened once to Viren's warnings… to one of his words, even...  he wouldn't have needed to rely on the help of a trapped elf in a mirror he stole from the Dragon King's lair.

 

Such a foolish mistake. After all everyone disappointed him sooner or later, even his closest of friends. Why would a stranger be any better?

 

He should never have entrusted his life into the hands of a stranger, a stranger who derived from the enemy's side obviously!

 

_ 'Now now, you still don't trust me, even though I stay by your side like promised?' _ Viren flinched at the sudden voice reverberating inside his skull. He recognised Aaravos' voice, but he couldn't feel the weight of this horrific caterpillar on his ear. Also, the mirror was nowhere near and probably still resided in the hidden chamber he left it in its wake.

Viren didn't bother to answer and after moments of subsequent silence casted it aside as an hallucination.

 

_ 'Already tired of talking to me? Come on, I need to hear your voice again.' _

 

"Where are you?" Viren bellowed before biting his lips.

 

It didn't take long for a warden, a boy of about 16 years, to come and take a concerned look inside the cell. "Everything all right in there, Lor... I mean... traitor?" His voice trembled and his downcast eyes told stories about how uncomfortable this situation was for him.

 

"Just a bad dream. Nothing of concern, boy." The high mage answered in a composed but arrogant way and smirked gleefully as the warden nodded in staccato movements, before leaving with quick steps.

  
  
  


A soft chuckle ghosted through his head.

 

_ 'He is more scared of your looks than of your bite, my friend. You look devastated with all those ugly cracks in your skin, soiled eyes and greyish complexion. You surely feel havocked with all the magic spent for naught.' _

 

A shiver ran through Viren's body. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that Aaravos was currently breathing down his neck, touching his shoulders in fake sympathy with his weird, four-fingered hands.

 

"Tell me where you are. Now." He demanded silently with a slight growl. He was aware of his weakness and longed for an Igniis Fatuus, one of those glowing butterflies, he used to extend his life a bit further, when he pushed his limits with dark magic. Unfortunately, they didn't keep such useful creatures in the dungeons.

Another problem he had to deal with. He overdid it. Channeling Aaravos' power sucked him almost dry of life energy. How was he to cope with this without suffering tremendously the next few days? This only fueled his fear further.

 

_ 'You have to eat something and drink. You will need strength for what is to come. This is not the time nor place for fear.' _

 

The high mage clicked his tongue and shook his head. Wherever Aaravos was at the moment, it appeared to Viren that he had a direct connection into his brain. And it also appeared that he was able to read his thoughts like an open book. While he agreed that it was useful to be in contact with the elf, he also had his doubts about the mind reading thing. For as far as he knew Aaravos could read his mind, but he himself was still unable to read Aaravos' mind.

 

"They want to see me hanging from the gallows is what awaits me. I don't need to be fed for that." he murmured and felt a pang of guilt inside his chest when he thought of Soren and Claudia and what was to become of them. Of course, they knew what life was about. They could live without him, they were capable of surviving and they had jobs, so they could afford their lifestyles. But he knew they would also be known as the children of a high traitor... Marked by the opinions of others and looked down upon for what their father did. That's what most humans did. He couldn't absolve himself from having done this before, either.

 

He sighed miserably and earned himself another chuckle from the elf.

 

_ 'Enough of that.' _ Aaravos' deep voice intoned sternly, evoking a severe cause of head aching on Viren's part from the droning timbre.  _ 'Focus on your own problems, before thinking of others. This won't help. But eating and drinking will help you recover. For this little setback is just part of my plan.' _

 

"What sort of stupid plan includes imprisonment?!" the rage in Viren broke forth through his mouth. A hushing noise came from the other end of their... connection. The high mage rolled his eyes, despite knowing full well Aaravos' concern of getting overheard was justified.

 

But this time no warden appeared. Maybe he still thought he struggled with nightmares or he simply stopped to care about his weird behaviour.

 

_ 'Wait and watch, my impatient friend. You will know it, when the time has come.' _ Aaravos said cryptically, before a sudden feeling of loss hit Viren harder than expected. The connection was gone... For now.

 

The high mage felt incredible lost for a moment.

 

Then he shook his head, gritting his teeth together.

 

"Don't trust him... Just don't trust him, Viren. Don't rely on false hope to receive help from anyone but yourself." Viren said. Relying on others was never an option for a man who had constantly been disappointed by... Everyone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading until here. <3  
> There is more to come, await new chapter upload on Saturday. :)  
> For further chapters Monday and Thursday will probably my preferenced upload days. <3


	3. Patience

**Chapter Two**

"I can't believe it worked." Viren paced the floor of his study, like a trapped griffin in a cage. The mirror was placed neatly beside his desk now, no longer in the boring cell downstairs, where bricks was everything to see. The study appeared cozy and warm and it spoke of wealth judging by the interior furnishings. There was a fire burning in the fireplace, illuminating the rows of books in a shelf as tall as the room's walls. There were carpets and drapes in dark burgundy. Aaravos eyes lingered on the stars he saw through one window in the night sky. So beautiful they were. How much he wanted to bask in their light.

In his prison there existed day and night, but he knew it was fake, because the silvery light of the stars here never fueled his energy like they did in the real world.

Aaravos shrugged absentmindedly casting his eyes on the high mage with a knowing grin. "I told you so. Time was all you needed. The turn of events was evident."

"I can't believe that the regents of the human kingdoms' assassinations and the return of... of Harrow's son was enough to get me out of this aweful place." The high mage came to a halt in the middle of the room and started pondering. After his release he had quickly recovered with his talent for handling dark magic.

"This may not be the only reason. Sure, the child couldn't bring himself to kill his father's most loyal friend. But furthermore all your predictions became true, when all regents fell an easy prey. Since no one of them knows that you put a dark magic spell in the balance of your favor, they must have come to the conclusion that you know what you're doing. Keep convincing them and they will listen to your plans sooner or later. It depends on how convincing you really are, of course."

Viren turned to face the mirror sceptically. He seemed to search for signs if betrayal or a trap of some sort. But Aaravos knew too well how to pull the strings right without raising suspicion. The most important of all things was patience.

"And what now?" Viren asked. He took some steps towards the mirror and leaned forward, placing his hands on each side of the mirror. "I'm still not in charge of Katolis. I don't even have a role of importance at the moment. This is a step backwards." He growled. "King Ezran remembers that I used to be his father's counselor, but that's about it. He rather prefers to discuss political matters with that abhorrent pet toad of his than with me. He doesn't require me for anything actually and he won't stop talking about peace negotiations with the Xadian elf tribes. I'm less useful than I was ever before. At least Harrow had a bit of logical sense in him. Ezran... He is too naive, too childish." his shoulders slumped with each word spoken.

There was a lot going on in that human. Aaravos couldn't completely understand why Viren's pragmatic mind wouldn't come up with the easy solution he had already laboured. But the elf had the suspicion that it had something to do with human's sense of morality. It was like a blockade for them, a line they never dared to Cross thoughtlessly.

"Why is it that humans are so impossibly impatient and uncreative regarding solutions? Your path is already set before you. Just follow the road and don't step aside from it, because you spot a shortcut, my dear friend."

"Don't call me that!" Aaravos flinched slightly at the vehemence in Viren's voice. But instead of feeling regret for using the false appellation, he felt triumph. Viren always snapped but he never bit. Despite his scowling he always crawled back to him. He knew it, because he knew what the high mage wanted. Attention, a listener, advice.

In that way all humans were the same. If you promised them what they desperately wanted, they'd cling to him. The spite in this one though, was a little challenging at times. Aaravos had to balance carefully what he said and did or else the touch of trust he gained from Viren turned into distrust.

Maybe that's why he found this human so particularly entertaining.

The lopsided grin on his face must have confused the high mage, because he quickly regained self-control, as he pushed away from the mirror, crossed his arms and cleared his throat.

"I mean, we're not friends. You are still a stranger and I don't trust you." Viren spoke keeping eye contact deliberately, but Aaravos felt that something about his challenging gaze was odd. This wasn't about trust or distrust. This was about convincing himself that he distrusted the startouch elf.

So, the human wasn't so sure about his own judgement any more. Such a great opportunity.

"I know. Please forgive me for crossing a line. I will give you all the time you need to put your trust into me. Believe me or not, I can wait."

Viren's frown deepend. "So, you say it's all about time? You know that my life span is more restricted than an elf's...?"

When Viren quirked an eyebrow Aaravos couldn't hold back a snort of laughter any longer. This discussion jumped from topic to topic and it was getting more ridiculous by the minute. "Just because you don't get everything now, doesn't mean you won't get it next week or even tomorrow. It depends on how fast a situation escalates to make the flock herd together. And once they are flocked they will turn their fearful eyes towards the shepherd to keep them save. Don't worry too much and trust at least my decisions. They brought you this far already."

The high mage tilted his head slightly pondering, while his forefinger and thumb twirled the tip of his beard. While composing himself Aaravos again found watching and studying the high mage in his naturals habitation a rather peaceful and calming pasttime. He could spend hours in front of the mirror, watching the human walk and ponder and just be.

By now he already knew that on bad weather days Viren would limp, due to his aching knee. On good weather ones, he would walk more fluent with an air of grace in every step. For a human his age he possessed remarkable litheness and a subtly toned figure. The elf had watched this body move in battle and he had seen him performing complex magic stances with such accuracy. For claiming that he was already an old man, Viren was astonishingly flexible and fit.

"...even listen to me?" An expectant eyebrow quirked above one of the human's eyes. He was so close standing to that mirror that Aaravos could see speckles of silver inside the dark grey of his irides. Just like little stars.

"I didn't, my apologizes. I was too absorbed in my own thoughts to listen. Can you repeat, what you said to me?"

Viren growled slightly. "You apologize a lot today... I asked you, if you had a plan to accelerate the process?"

"Of course." When Viren looked at him expectantly, the star touch elf smirked, signaling him with his forefinger to wait a second and turned to go to the shelf in his private library. He skimmed through the titles with his fingertips and eyes, before he picked a violet tome with silvery ornamental designs and runes decorating the cover. Quickly skimming through the pages he soon found the spell he was searching for.

"We'll need a little bit of preparation for it, but this will be very effective against royal children."

"Are you planning to...?!"

Aaravos could see the horror on Viren's face from this far and he felt his mistrust in him growing. Obviously killing children had him doubting. Interesting. It was the easiest solution to gaining his goal and clearly he must have thought about getting rid of hin as well.

The startouch elf tilted his head slightly and watched him for a moment before he sighed. "You want the power over Katolis. You want people to listen to you. And you want to win this war against Xadia. The elves won't be so primly about sacrificing themselves for the greater good of winning this war. They are fierce and stern in battle and they will not hesitate to make sacrifices for victory. So, are you really going to waste your precious time with scrupels?"

Aaravos' voice was challenging him. And he knew the moment Viren's eyes narrowed that he had stirred something in him, which wouldn't allow any doubts. He had to fuel it.

"Sacrifices are part of dark magic, Viren." He let the 'R' in his name roll over his tongue. It was the first time he actually called him by his name. He decided that he liked the sound of it. "You have every tool you need in your head and fingers."

"Very well then... what do I need to do."

Knowingly the elf's smirk broadened. He hadn't expected any less of the high mage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait, but hey, it's still Saturday. X'D  
> I hope there are not many mistakes. This chapter is not beta-ed yet. >_<  
> And this is obviously Aaravos POV. I guess I will try to keep the POV's switching with each chapter


End file.
